The Effects of Narrator Gender on Social Perceptions and Persuasive Communication

How narrator gender will affect perceptions of warmth and competence?

Do changes in warmth and competence effect persuasiveness and effectiveness?  

Narrator gender did not significantly influence perceptions of warmth, competence, persuasiveness, or effectiveness. This may suggest that when message content, delivery, and structure are held constant, narrator gender alone may not be a strong determinant of social perception or persuasive outcomes.

The lack of significant effects may indicate that gender-based differences in perception are weaker or more context-dependent than previously suggested, particularly in controlled, low-stakes settings such as online video stimuli.

Important consideration: This study did not examine potential interactions between narrator gender and participant characteristics (e.g., participant gender), which may influence how messages are received.

It is also possible that the manipulation of narrator gender (voice only) was not strong enough to elicit differences in perception, suggesting that visual or contextual cues may play a larger role in shaping social judgments.

We thank Dr. Guevarra for guidance and support, as well as Emma King for their assistance with data and feedback. We also thank the Affective Science & Psychophysiology Lab at Miami University for their support, and the participants who made this research possible.

We applied critical thinking by interpreting our statistical results and determining how to most clearly present the findings on narrator gender and social perceptions. As co-authors, we collaborated by dividing responsibilities, refining each section of the poster, and integrating our ideas into a final design. We demonstrated leadership by taking initiative in organizing the layout, making decisions about data visualization, and ensuring the poster effectively communicated our key findings. Additionally, we used strong communication skills to translate statistical analyses and psychological concepts into a clear, visually engaging format and to effectively present our research to others.

This pilot study did not list a specific IRB approval number in the provided materials, which is consistent with preliminary research often conducted under broader or pending IRB approval. Participants were informed of the studies purpose and the potential risks and benefits. 

Fiske, S. T., Cuddy, A. J. C., & Glick, P. (2007). Universal dimensions of social cognition: Warmth and competence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11(2), 77–83. 

Guevarra, D. A., Webster, C. T., Moros, J. N., Kross, E., & Moser, J. S. (2024). Remotely administered non‐deceptive placebos reduce COVID‐related stress, anxiety, and depression. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 16(4), 2204-2224. 

Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and persuasion: Central and peripheral routes to attitude change.          Springer.

Participants were 150 volunteers (N = 150) recruited through Prolific. The sample had a mean age of 40.95 years (SD = 12.23) and consisted of 69 females, 79 males, and 2 individuals identifying as genderqueer, nonbinary, or genderfluid. The racial and ethnic composition of the sample was 71.33% White European, 6.67% Asian, 8% Hispanic, Latino/a/é, or Spanish, and 4% identifying as other.

After providing informed consent, participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. In the control condition, participants watched a video on a general psychology topic. In the experimental conditions, participants watched a video discussing third-person self-talk narrated by either a male voice or a female voice. Following video exposure, participants completed a survey assessing perceptions of the narrator and the strategy.

The independent variable was video condition (control, male narrator, female narrator). The dependent variables included perceived competence, persuasiveness, effectiveness, and warmth, all measured using post-survey questions adapted from Guevarra (2024). To analyze differences across conditions, independent samples t-tests were conducted for each social perception outcome.